Podcasts about florida humanities

We're making our way through a time of extreme disruption, led by rapid transformation in technology, especially in how we communicate information. According to our special guest Renée DiResta, the way power and influence have been profoundly transformed reveals how a virtual rumor mill of niche propagandists increasingly shapes public opinion. By revealing the machinery and dynamics of the interplay between influencers, algorithms, and online crowds, DiResta vividly illustrates the way propagandists deliberately undermine belief in the fundamental legitimacy of institutions that make society work. Find the program online here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/america-fourth/Riffing along with our civic hero Dr. Danielle Allen, you have to start with basic agreements that are foundational (nonviolence as a basic norm, a supermajority for constitutional democracy, and full inclusion for all citizens). We're also wondering if the secret to a healthy America is to… wait for it… put “America Fourth!” Perhaps too much of our lives are now wrapped up in this life or death, us v. them struggle for us to be happy people. According to political scientist Eitan Hersh, this is making us insufferable “political hobbyists” who need to get a life? What if we can rediscover other higher loves — faith, family, art, travel, Star Wars trivia, whatever floats your particular boat. And in finding our loves again, maybe we even find each other? Facilitated by Pastor Latricia Scriven of St. Paul's United Methodist Church — God Squad is on it. Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

  Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it's finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.  The bigger, gnarlier and more all-encompassing a conflict grows, the more we naturally rush right to its epicenter to try to break it up.  It demands so much attention it's hard to look away. But we're going to give you our hottest tip for handling the most difficult conflicts — do it indirectly. Named by our very own Bill Mattox (this episode's guest), who may or may not know a lot about a carom shot in billiards (hitting a ball to hit another ball into the pocket), but he certainly knows a lot about human beings. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Featured in this episode: A reference to the Heineken Worlds Apart ad, which is well worth a watch. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.      

Episodes Summary: A beautiful and powerful art exhibition is touring the country right now, called Pictures of Belonging, which explores three artists of Japanese descent - Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi and Miné Okubo. The exhibition puts these artists and their work in their rightful place in the history of American art. For this bonus episode, producer and lead writer David Taylor visits the exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and shares his insights about Miné Okubo, who was featured in Episode 9: Is This Land Your Land? She was a painter who was working with Diego Rivera on murals for the WPA when she was detained and sent to an incarceration camp during World War 2. She used her artwork to bear witness to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during the war. Links and Resources:Pictures of Belonging: Japanese American National MuseumPictures of Belonging: Smithsonian American Art MuseumCitizen 13660 - a short film from the National Park ServiceSincerely, Miné Okubo - a short biography from the Japanese American National MuseumFurther Reading: Citizen 13360 by Miné OkuboMiné Okubo: Following Her Own Road by Greg Robinson Peaceful Painter: Memoirs of an Issei Woman Artist by Hisako HibiThe Other American Moderns: Matsura, Ishigaki, Nora, Hayakawa by ShiPu WangCredits: Director: Andrea KalinProducers: Andrea Kalin, David A. Taylor, James MirabelloEditor: Amy YoungFeaturing music from Pond5Produced with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Florida Humanities, Virginia Humanities, Wisconsin Humanities, California Humanities and Humanities Nebraska. For additional content, visit peoplesrecorder.info or follow us on social media: @peoplesrecorder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it's finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.  The second in the series, after "Location, Location, Location" is an homage to our intellectual hero (and lucky for us, our friend and colleague) Dr. Jonathan Haidt who - literally - wrote the book for Pigs With Big Dreams. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Miss the first Flying Pig Academy Episode? Find it here. Oh and if you haven't watch the "hive switch-y" Almost Famous Tiny Dancer scene we mention toward the end of the episode, here's your chance. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Nice work, if you can get it.Today we're catching up with friend of the pod Justin Timineri. As executive chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's Fresh From Florida program, he is the state's official culinary ambassador. Sounds like a sweet gig, right? It is. But as you'll hear, it's also a lot of work.Dalia recently caught up with Chef Justin. In their conversation, he recalls his earliest food memories from his Tallahassee childhood, shares stories from his remarkable career that has included showcasing our state's food all over the world and his favorite Florida food trends.To learn more about Chef Justin Timineri, check out Dalia's profile of him in the spring issue of FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities. 

Nice work, if you can get it.Today we're catching up with friend of the pod Justin Timineri. As executive chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's Fresh From Florida program, he is the state's official culinary ambassador. Sounds like a sweet gig, right? It is. But as you'll hear, it's also a lot of work.Dalia recently caught up with Chef Justin. In their conversation, he recalls his earliest food memories from his Tallahassee childhood, shares stories from his remarkable career that has included showcasing our state's food all over the world and his favorite Florida food trends.To learn more about Chef Justin Timineri, check out Dalia's profile of him in the spring issue of FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities. 

Why does it feel like those on the “other side” are not just different but dangerous? According to our special guest UNC psychologist Kurt Gray in his new book OUTRAGED: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground the conflict lies in our human instinct to protect ourselves and the ones we love from harm. Find the program online here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We have become a most tediously offended people. We're not talking about the big stuff — it's the “little” things we wonder about. “Sticks and stones may break my bones” and “water off a duck's back” seem quaint and anachronistic in today's culture of maximal aggrievement. Provoked by even the slightest offense — that, mind you, we seem to be on constant vigilance to find — we're on a hair trigger that sends us into conjuring up “us vs. them” and “good vs. evil” thinking and language.  Scholars have written that this sad state of affairs reflects a wider shift in our culture, from what they call a “dignity culture” to an “honor and victimhood culture.” Humanity has been here before (in the days of yore when the Secretary of the Treasury killed a sitting vice president, or that one time a U.S. Senator was caned on the Senate floor) — and it doesn't end well. Led by Rev. Josh Hall of First Baptist Church — God Squad is on it. Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it's finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.  The first, second and third rule? Like buying a house: location, location, location OR local local local. This is easier to fix than you thought. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We claim to be a nation founded on an idea. But, especially in these times of civic rupture, are we even all talking about the same idea?Contributing Washington Post opinion writer Dr. Ted Johnson joins us again to discuss his beautiful, powerful new book “If We are Brave: Essays of Black Americana.”The program is faciliated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. Find the program online here.This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

If you watched the Grammys this year, you probably caught Beyonce's acceptance speech, when, at long last she landed the album of the year. Beyonce said she hoped to keep pushing forward and opening doors. And her album- Cowboy Carter, which won the Grammy for best country album- is also a door to the past. The album tour- Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit tour- evokes the network of clubs and venues that Black musicians and performers toured during segregation last Century. And the Chitlin Circuit is referenced in one of the tracks on the album: Ya Ya Beyonce's not the only artist to cast back to the Chitlin Circuit. Kendrick Lamar, who netted an armful of Grammys this year, refers to the circuit in ‘Reincarnated' Musicians who honed their craft on the circuit include Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Little Richard They're just some of the artists who performed on the Chitlin Circuit. And on this episode of Florida Matters, you'll hear how the circuit shaped the sound of jazz, blues, soul, rock n roll- the foundations of American popular music. One of the guests you'll hear from- Dr Michelle Scott, professor of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County- will be part of an upcoming discussion presented by WUSF and Arts Axis Florida- about the Chitlin Circuit's impact in Tampa. Also joining the discussion: Dr Nashid Madyun, executive director Florida Humanities.

If you watched the Grammys this year, you probably caught Beyonce's acceptance speech, when, at long last she landed the album of the year. Beyonce said she hoped to keep pushing forward and opening doors. And her album- Cowboy Carter, which won the Grammy for best country album- is also a door to the past. The album tour- Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit tour- evokes the network of clubs and venues that Black musicians and performers toured during segregation last Century. And the Chitlin Circuit is referenced in one of the tracks on the album: Ya Ya Beyonce's not the only artist to cast back to the Chitlin Circuit. Kendrick Lamar, who netted an armful of Grammys this year, refers to the circuit in ‘Reincarnated' Musicians who honed their craft on the circuit include Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Little Richard They're just some of the artists who performed on the Chitlin Circuit. And on this episode of Florida Matters, you'll hear how the circuit shaped the sound of jazz, blues, soul, rock n roll- the foundations of American popular music. One of the guests you'll hear from- Dr Michelle Scott, professor of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County- will be part of an upcoming discussion presented by WUSF and Arts Axis Florida- about the Chitlin Circuit's impact in Tampa. Also joining the discussion: Dr Nashid Madyun, executive director Florida Humanities.

We claim to be a nation founded on an idea. But, especially in these times of civic rupture, are we even all talking about the same idea? Contributing Washington Post opinion writer Dr. Ted Johnson joins us again to discuss his beautiful, powerful new book “If We are Brave: Essays of Black Americana.” The program is faciliated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. Find hte program online here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Episode Summary:The Franklin Delano Library and Museum is an amazing place which just celebrated its 75th anniversary. President Roosevelt had the idea to build the library on his family property in Hyde Park, New York, using private funds. And then he donated the library and its historical collections, including all of his personal and official papers, to the US Government. This started the precedent of Presidential Libraries that we continue today. Last month, we sat down with the FDR Library and its director Bill Harris and had a great discussion about the Federal Writers' Project, its impact then, and why it still matters today. Please join our host Chris Haley, writer-producers David Taylor and James Mirabello and historian Sara Rutkowski for a few highlights from that conversation.You can see the full discussion on the FDR Library's YouTube channel here. Links and Resources: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and Museum"Rewriting America: New Essays on the Federal Writers' Project" with Sara RutkowskiCredits: Director: Andrea KalinProducers: Andrea Kalin, David A. Taylor, James MirabelloEditor: Amy YoungFeaturing music from Pond5Featuring: Chris Haley, Bill Harris, David A. Taylor, Sara Rutkowski and James MirabelloProduced with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Florida Humanities, Virginia Humanities, Wisconsin Humanities, California Humanities and Humanities Nebraska. For additional content, visit peoplesrecorder.info or follow us on social media: @peoplesrecorder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we contemplated who we might invite for this post-election UNUM gathering, we were (temporarily) flummoxed. A week after the election would we be in need of an expert in election law, a therapist or an exorcist? Could we just place all three on speed dial? Then we realized that no matter what happens during – and after – the 2024 election, there will undoubtedly be some BIG feelings about it, so our task on November 12th is utterly clear even now: we'll need to take one step closer to each other. That journey has a sherpa, and her name is Mónica Guzmán. Mónica is the friend you'll want for that post-election drink, the one you can let your hair down with to just talk it all through. The program is faciliated by Angel Eduardo of FIRE. Learn more about Móni, Angel and this event here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

America's young adults are telling us they're not OK — in ways large and small. It's high time to take a good, close listen and have a frank conversation about the spiking anxiety & depression among adults coming of age in this time of disruption and disconnection. We're losing more young adults than we can bear. As successive generations move away from organized religion, perhaps there's a longing for spiritual direction that we have in our souls for relationship, community and ritual. Can religious congregations help to address this problem? If so, how do they connect and make spaces more welcoming for young people in our community's “third spaces” that help grow community and purpose? Led by Father Tim Holeda — who pastors to a large community of FSU students — God Squad is on it. Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

What, exactly, is our problem? Author Tim Urban, known for his extended riff on procrastination in his endlessly wise, sidesplittingly funny, stick-figure illustrated Wait But Why blog, emerged from a 6-year deep think with an answer that has the power to save humanity (from itself).  In Urban's analysis, the primitive mind is a furry orange monster holding a burning torch, big dumb looking genies called golems roam the land — and we're going to need a resurgence of rival genies to save us. Oh and we're all moths wasting our lives circle the porch light. In this episode, Tim joins us to get us up to speed. This one is a must-listen. Learn more about Tim and his work online here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

As we barrel toward America's 250th, one could argue that if we crack up before we get there (some bad days we'd take even odds), it'll have something to do with the complexity of being in charge of executing one of the founders' biggest ideas — that the church and the state were to be separate in this new nation of theirs. (It had been so much “easier” when the king told all us peasants what religion we were.) Our framers, for the first time in history, asserted that a citizenry had “natural rights” as human beings, given to them only by God, to follow (and be responsible for) our individual consciences — including the right to not believe at all. These rights could then not be taken by the government. Those dudes in tights, both Christian and Deist, had birthed a country where all sorts of religious belief would thrive. Turns out high principles about freedom for everyone all at the same time wouldn't be a piece of cake and after 250-ish years of disagreement, we're still haggling over those darn specifics — partly because we're masters of not seeing the log in our own eyes. God Squad goes right to the real conversation on this age-old prickly topic. Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

When Dalia arrived at Giuliano Hazan's home in Sarasota, the first thing he did was offer her a cappuccino and a plate of biscotti. She had eaten breakfast on the drive down from Tampa, so she was not at all hungry.But when Giuliano Hazan offers you an Italian breakfast, you take it. Giuliano is the only child of Marcella Hazan, the Italian-born food writer and cooking teacher who is credited with popularizing Italian food in the United States. Marcella and her husband, Victor Hazan, raised Giuliano mostly in New York City. When Giuliano moved to Florida's Gulf Coast as an adult, his parents later followed. Marcella died in 2013; Victor still lives on Longboat Key.While Marcella's legacy lives on in her cookbooks, a documentary film and a Smithsonian project that's in the works, Giuliano has established himself as an Italian cooking authority in his own right. The author of several cookbooks, he teaches Italian cooking classes on his YouTube channel, at his home in Sarasota and at his cooking schools throughout Italy, where he leads culinary tours with his wife, writer Lael Hazan. Forbes.com named their culinary excursions among its 5 Top Cooking And Foodie Vacations In Italy For 2019.Dalia recently sat down with Giuliano at his kitchen table in Sarasota. Between bites of biscotti and sips of cappuccino, they discussed how his mother got her big break in America, his own career in Italian cooking and advice for making better Italian food at home.You can read more about Giuliano Hazan in the fall issue of Forum, the magazine of Florida Humanities.Related episodes:Bavaro's Brings Italy to Tampa Bay“The Sporkful” Host Dan Pashman on Pasta, Podcasting & Imposter SyndromeSarasota Magazine Food Writer Lauren Jackson's Job Is Harder Than You Think

Friends since middle school, Berny Jacques and Geston Pierre are both children of Haitian political refugees who fled political instability that put their families at risk – with Geston's parents arriving a little earlier than Berny's.  Despite their friendship and shared family immigration story, they have reached very different conclusions about politics and social issues in the United States today. What Berny and Geston have found in the space and differences between them, we believe, has a lot to teach the country they both dearly love. In the lead-up to a contentious presidential election, it seemed like the perfect time to get to know these “frenemies” — and consider what we might be getting wrong about each other. Learn more about the program and about Berny and Geston here. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

The arts are vital in Florida. You've heard what cuts to arts funding means for hundreds of theaters, museums and arts groups - and the economies they help support. Arts and humanities also help Floridians make sense of this state. On this episode of Florida Matters, you'll hear from someone whose mission is to promote and share the history, culture and stories of the sunshine state. Nashid Madyun, the executive director of Florida Humanities, first talked with Florida Matters last December. Madyun and Jackie Levine, executive editor of 'Once Upon a Time in Florida', a collection of essays about Florida, dig into the stereotypes that are wrong, and explain how the humanities can help you get to grips with this vast, complex state. Later in the show: voters go to the polls in November to pick the next president- and a whole lot more. Over the next few months on Florida Matters, you're going to hear from experts on things like how to register to vote, how to read election ads and other issues to help you navigate the election. Election supervisor Craig Latimer and Florida Matters executive producer Gracyn Doctor chat about what a brand new arrival to the state needs to know before heading to the voting booth.

The arts are vital in Florida. You've heard what cuts to arts funding means for hundreds of theaters, museums and arts groups - and the economies they help support. Arts and humanities also help Floridians make sense of this state. On this episode of Florida Matters, you'll hear from someone whose mission is to promote and share the history, culture and stories of the sunshine state. Nashid Madyun, the executive director of Florida Humanities, first talked with Florida Matters last December. Madyun and Jackie Levine, executive editor of 'Once Upon a Time in Florida', a collection of essays about Florida, dig into the stereotypes that are wrong, and explain how the humanities can help you get to grips with this vast, complex state. Later in the show: voters go to the polls in November to pick the next president- and a whole lot more. Over the next few months on Florida Matters, you're going to hear from experts on things like how to register to vote, how to read election ads and other issues to help you navigate the election. Election supervisor Craig Latimer and Florida Matters executive producer Gracyn Doctor chat about what a brand new arrival to the state needs to know before heading to the voting booth.

Drawing on decades of experience addressing volatile disagreements surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Resetting the Table works to transform toxic polarization and destructive political conflict in the U.S. We'll be joined by Resetting the Table's Co-Founding CEO, Melissa Weintraub, a veteran peacebuilder and social entrepreneur who has spent her career building transformative communication across divides, overcoming dehumanization and distrust, and working toward a shared society in both the U.S. and Israel-Palestine. This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

In a culturally, religiously and racially diverse society like ours — with a single public school system designed to educate America's children — maybe we shouldn't be surprised that the culture wars have Officially Hit Our Schools. When you clear away the noise, at the core of the struggle is this: what should our schools teach our children—and who decides?  Joining us for this conversation are special guests school board member Dr. Marcus Nicolas and Lea Marshall, a beloved high school theatre teacher. God Squad joining us: Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Joseph Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, and Betsy Ouellette Zierden former Pastor at Good Samaritan UMC, Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church, Latricia Scriven of Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, and Stefanie Posner of Temple Israel. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

We were honored to hang out with our intellectural hero, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a few weeks before the release of his recent book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Unsurprisingly, since its release, it became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. If you have kids, if you know kids — heck, if you've ever seen a kid — you're just going to have to read this book. It gives us no less than a chance to rescue the coming generations from the devastating effects of an accidental social experiment run amok. Haidt argues we're overprotecting children in the real world — where they need to play, be exposed to challenge and freedom in order to learn to self-govern — and severely underprotect them in the digital world. He gives us concrete specific steps we can all take now to roll back the psychologically dangerous phone-based childhood. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time.   The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

To get a gallon of the freshest olive oil, you could grab your passport, pack a suitcase and fly more than 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sunshine State to Tuscany.Or you could drive to Brooksville—as in, Brooksville, Florida. The quiet Hernando County town is prized for its bike trails and camping sites. Brooksville is also home to The Olive Grove—yes, that's the official name. It's a property owned by husband and wife Cambren and Dede Davis.The Zest's host Dalia Colón and brand manager Alexandria Ebron recently visited The Olive Grove for a tour. As you'll discover if you visit, olives are only the beginning. In addition to selling freshly pressed olive oil and other olive products, The Olive Grove is also an event space, concert venue, Airbnb and farm. If you're lucky, you just might get to name one of the resident chickens.The Davises' property is among a growing number of olive groves in the Sunshine State. To learn more about the challenges and opportunities of olive oil production in Florida, check out Dalia's article in the summer 2024 issue of Forum, the magazine of Florida Humanities. Related episodes: Conscious Cuisine: Rocky Soil Family Farm on How to Reconnect with Your Food “Now Food Doesn't Have to Travel”: Hyperlocal Agriculture with lemonGRAFT Founder Zach Correa Florida Fruit & Vegetable Gardening 101

“Fragile Neighborhoods is an essential and engaging read for everyone who wants to better understand the challenges facing our cities, towns and our nation at large.” Richard Florida – Bestselling Author of “The Rise of the Creative Class” Find the program online here: https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/soul-of-civility/ While our special guest Alexandra O. Hudson, author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” finds the challenges to civility today dire, she thinks they're not new — and they're most definitely not about being more polite. Lexi brings a deep and fresh appreciation for the wisdom of the ages to the moment we're in, from Socrates and Confucius to more contemporary thinkers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Henry David Thoreau. She joins forces with these heavyweights, along with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of our understanding of civility through the ages. We hope you'll join us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it's necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species. ALEXANDRA O. HUDSON is a writer, popular speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness and truth. She contributes to Fox News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TIME Magazine, POLITICO Magazine, and Newsweek. She earned a master's degree in public policy at the London School of Economics and is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. Her first book, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves, was published in October 2023. She lives in Indianapolis, IN with her husband and children. ______________ The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

“Fragile Neighborhoods is an essential and engaging read for everyone who wants to better understand the challenges facing our cities, towns and our nation at large.” Richard Florida – Bestselling Author of “The Rise of the Creative Class” Find the full program online here — and meet The God Squad: https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/fragile-neighborhoods/ As we continue our “Join or Die” year—exploring how we build lives of connection and belonging inside a polarized America—we'd be remiss if we didn't turn our attention to the neighborhoods and the city where we live our lives. Too many of us live in neighborhoods plagued by rising crime, school violence, family disintegration, addiction, alienation, and despair. Even the wealthiest neighborhoods are not immune; while poverty exacerbates these challenges, they exist in zip codes rich and poor, rural and urban, and everything in between. Our special guest Seth D. Kaplan is an expert on fragile states across the world, consulting for the World Bank, U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as developing country governments and NGOs. His new book “Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time” brings  Seth's experience overseas to our social decline in America—and Tallahassee— to revitalize our local institutions and the social ties that knit them together. Pick up a copy of Fragile Neighborhoods by swinging by Midtown Reader (or you can click here ) Seth D. Kaplan is a leading expert on fragile states. He is a Professorial Lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Adviser for the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), and consultant to multilateral organizations around the world. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

Find the full program online here — and meet The God Squad: https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/canceled/.  We're living in a time when a bad choice of words (much less a deeply held countercultural opinion) can tank your career, in a media environment where some are doing a near-professional job of elevating being offensive to an art form—almost begging to be “canceled” by those who care about maintaining at least a kindergarten-level decorum. Our culture wars have blinded us—gone are the deepest underpinnings of pluralism, where legitimately held beliefs are respected, even when they clash fiercely with our own. Never mind being canceled, this environment has many of us self-editing—choosing simply to not express ourselves so as to avoid risk altogether. So how's a person to live free in a culture that's this hostile and toxic to diverse opinion? We're going to call on the better angels of our nature — and The God Squad — to see if we can get back to a generosity of spirit where we support each other's right to live free by our conscience and beliefs — no matter how profoundly we disagree. Joining us for this God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Latricia Scriven of Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, Betsy Ouellette Zierden former Pastor at Good Samaritan UMC, Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church, and Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel. Facilitated by Stefanie Posner of Temple Israel. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

We wanted you wonderful SquareCast listeners to know that we didn't plan for this episode to drop on Leap Day and we didn't plan on it being (we kid you not) Episode 100. But both things just happened. At the very least, we think that's a sign that you really ought to listen. Were we "the universe has a plan" maximalists, though, we'd say it means you need to quit your day job and follow bridge builders like Jon Haidt and The Village Square around like Jack Kerouac groupies.  You pick. Here's our blurb to help inform your imminent life choice: What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization's technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we've come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong? Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time. Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid  in The Atlantic and learn more about Dr. Haidt by clicking the MORE button, below. The program includes a preview of Haidt's highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March. You're not going to want to miss it. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

Pulitzer Prize finalist journalist Bill Bishop joins The Village Square for Dinner at the Square. (See photos from the event here.) Turns out Americans have been sorting ourselves in every aspect of our lives – in the news we watch, the books we read, the churches we attend, even the neighborhoods we live in. Our special guest Pulitzer Prize finalist journalist Bill Bishop stumbled on this worrisome trend when he was doing research on an unrelated topic. That means that we're increasingly finding ourselves in the company of people who think just like we do. Inside these likeminded tribes, we find our views amplified and no counterbalance to help us understand what our “side” might be failing to see. The result? Likeminded groups grow more extreme in the direction of the majority view. Uh oh. Faciliating the conversation is Steve Seibert, formerly of Collins Center and Florida Humanities. Joining the conversation is Governor Jeb Bush's former Chief of Staff Sally Bradshaw, and former Florida Representative Loranne Ausley. Find the event online here. Find The Village Square online here.  The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

In this episode of SquareCast Village Square Founder & CEO Liz Joyner let Village SquareCast Corey Nathan talk her into being the guest in an episode. It's hard to get away from the doom scroll that typifies our life and times right now — we're clobbered with toxic sludge when we turn on the  news, catch up with friends on social media or just try to live life without someone forcing us to choose whether we're one of “us” or one of “them.” The signs of our difficulties are all around us and it's hard to underestimate its weight on our being. In this episode of Village SquareCast we'll chat with founder Liz Joyner about the unique journey of two decades seeking to (in the words of one of Liz's heroes, Patricia Nelson Limerick) “let friendship redeem the republic.” We'll travel from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee, Florida in this epic tale of tilting at some serious windmills — while endeavoring to keep laughing. Find The Village Square online here.  The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

In this episode of SquareCast we're joined by the extraordinary Rachel Brown, the Founder of Over Zero—named in reference to the “zero sum game” that exists in sporting events, but becomes dangerous when it overtakes a society, as it has ours. Over Zero was founded to prevent identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm around the world—and here at home. Rachel is one of the wisest, steadiest voices of our time in guiding us away from dangerous (but human) reactions, and toward calmer times. The program is facilitated by Dr. Theodore R. Johnson, previous UNUM guest and author of the book “When The Stars Begin to Fall.”  Find the program online at The Village Square here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

In this age of deep and growing civic divisions, perhaps it's time to revise the comic strip Pogo's iteration of U.S. Navy Master Commandant Oliver Perry's quote from the War of 1812: "We have met the enemy and it is us." From our special Dinner at the Square guest Stephen Kiernan's masterpiece book Authentic Patriotism: “The problems America faces are not going to be solved by either political party, nor are they exclusively the fault of any political party. I am reminded of the line in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet: “A plague on both your houses.” In a democracy politics are merely the manifestation of the people's will; if Congress is weak, it is because the public's leadership of politicians has been insufficient.” This throwback episode is part of The Village Square's return to some of the most basic, inspiring and effective ideas we've heard through our years about how to actually fix what ails us, leading up to the launch of our Flying Pig Academy, where we'll teach our model of returning to civic health. Stay tuned. We think it will inspire you. (You can also watch this program here.) The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

This week's topics: "Once Upon a Time in Florida" celebrates 50 years of Florida HumanitiesWith guests:Dalia Colon, Journalist, Podcaster, Co-Host "WEDU Arts Plus"Gary Mormino, Emeritus Professor of History, USF- St. Petersburg, Author-HistorianPete Gallagher, Journalist, Photographer, Host-"Florida Folk Show" PodcastJacki Levine, Editor, FORUM magazine, Florida Humanities

Americans are sad and lonely, and we don't feel like we belong. With depression and “deaths of despair” on the rise, over half of us say that no one knows us well—a truly alarming statistic that doesn't bode well for our future. As if matters weren't bad enough, we're not just sad and alone—we're becoming more mean to each other, and it's likely part of the same cycle of pain. With fewer human connections in our lives, more of us seek belonging in our venally angry civic life, so this crisis of belonging also fuels extremism for which violence is increasingly a downstream outcome. What if, at its core, the loneliness, bitterness, and anger is a failure of our society's moral compass?  We asked The God Squad to read David Brooks' Atlantic piece “How America Got Mean” before this conversation, but whether you've had a chance to read it or not, you're going to be inspired by this conversation. Meet the God Squad, the brains behind our series “God Squad: Improbable conversations for people of faith and no faith at all (because talking politics wasn't hard enough). Joining us for this edition of God Squad:  Joining us for this God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Dr. Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church, Rev. Betsy Ouellette-Zierden, Joseph Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel. The Reverend Dr. Latricia Scriven of St. Paul's United Methodist Church facilitates the conversation. Find bios for our participants and a full program description online here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

The mission of Florida Humanities is to help Floridians make sense of this complex, dynamic state by elevating stories about its culture, history and literature. A new book, "Once Upon a Time in Florida," celebrates the organization's golden anniversary. Florida Matters sat down with Dr. Nashid Madyun, executive director of Florida Humanities, and Jacki Levine, the editor of "Once Upon a Time in Florida" for a conversation about what went into the creation of this book. They talk about what Florida stereotypes are wrong, how much we don't know about this vast, complex state, and how the humanities can provide a more complete picture of Florida during a time of rapid change. We also hear from some of the contributors to "Once Upon a Time in Florida": NPR TV and film critic Eric Deggans talks about how the stylized image of Florida in shows like Miami Vice affects the way others see the state, and how we see ourselves. WUSF's Dalia Colon reads from her profile of former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, whose family sought refuge in Florida after fleeing Communist Cuba. Historian Gary Mormino muses on the demise of the once mighty citrus industry, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jack Davis describes the "beauty and bluster" of the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on the state.

The mission of Florida Humanities is to help Floridians make sense of this complex, dynamic state by elevating stories about its culture, history and literature. A new book, "Once Upon a Time in Florida," celebrates the organization's golden anniversary. Florida Matters sat down with Dr. Nashid Madyun, executive director of Florida Humanities, and Jacki Levine, the editor of "Once Upon a Time in Florida" for a conversation about what went into the creation of this book. They talk about what Florida stereotypes are wrong, how much we don't know about this vast, complex state, and how the humanities can provide a more complete picture of Florida during a time of rapid change. We also hear from some of the contributors to "Once Upon a Time in Florida": NPR TV and film critic Eric Deggans talks about how the stylized image of Florida in shows like Miami Vice affects the way others see the state, and how we see ourselves. WUSF's Dalia Colon reads from her profile of former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, whose family sought refuge in Florida after fleeing Communist Cuba. Historian Gary Mormino muses on the demise of the once mighty citrus industry, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jack Davis describes the "beauty and bluster" of the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on the state.

With our culture wars at a full rolling boil, apparently all it takes to send our enmity over the edge is…a good old-fashioned country song?? The furor over Jason Aldean's “Try That in A Small Town” (and then there's Oliver Anthony's “Rich Men North of Richmond”) is reminiscent of the old furor over The Dixie Chicks—only the “sides” have switched up.  As The Village Square embarks on a pluralism project to build a hometown where everyone belongs, it's possible that “round here we take care of our own” is a value we should all seek to restore to American civic life, but does it really need to come with all the guns? We'll bring The God Squad into this musical fracas (they dove right into this one in our planning meeting), so that they can do their usual thing and go high instead of the usual low. Can we find a place where perhaps we can tolerate each other and just SING? (Dolly Parton has something to say on that front…) Check out the “Try That In A Small Town” lyrics. And the lyrics to “Rich Men North of Richmond” are here. Joining us for this God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Josh Hall of First Baptist Church, Joseph Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, and Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel. Stefanie Posner of Temple Israel will be facilitating. Meet the God Squad, the brains behind our series “God Squad: Improbable conversations for people of faith and no faith at all (because talking politics wasn't hard enough). Joining us for this edition of God Squad:  Find bios for our participants and a full program description online here. The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

At the core of the deep societal divisions we navigate every day is an assumption that we share little with “those people” with whom we share a country—a belief that leaves us on dangerous ground as a nation. But author and entrepreneur Dr. Todd Rose says we've got that all wrong. According to Dr. Rose, not only do we agree more often than we think but we're making terrible assumptions about what the people on our own side of the aisle think—then acting on those incorrect assumptions in a way that accelerates the divisions. Born of our highly social nature and hardwiring in our DNA, we so desperately want to protect our status and reputation inside our groups so we conform with what we think our group thinks—finding ourselves inside a “collective illusion” that is not only destabilizing society, it's making us personally miserable. Dr. Rose offers his compelling and revelatory insights about human forces that are far too easily ignored in his most recent book: “Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions.” We think his work is just so important that we're delighted to bring him to Tallahassee to meet you (and we'll be hosting book clubs to dive into “Collective Illusions” through the year). We don't think you'll ever see the world quite the same way again (trust us, that'll be a good thing). Learn more about Dr. Rose below. Pick up a copy of Collective Illusions (you'll thank us) at our partner bookseller Midtown (wherever you live). — The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Stone crab claws are big business in Florida, worth an annual $34.4 million, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission—and that's in an industry that works just half the year.Few people understand the ins and outs of stone crabbing better than Kelly Kirk of Goodland. It's a small fishing village in the southeast corner of Marco Island. Kelly and her family run Kirk Fish Company, a seafood processing facility and market that her grandfather Bud Kirk started in the early 1950s. Kelly is also co-director of the Florida Stone Crabbers Association, and she sits on the board of the Everglades Seafood Festival. As she geared up for stone crab season, Kelly took time to chat with Dalia about what you can expect to pay for a pound of stone crab claws, how environmental changes affect Florida's stone crab population and how she prefers to enjoy the delicacy. To learn more about stone crabs, check out Dalia's article in the fall 2023 issue of Forum, the magazine of Florida Humanities.Related episodes:Dive into Florida's Spiny Lobster SeasonConscious Cuisine: How to Choose Sustainable SeafoodHow Key West Lobsterfest Became Florida's Premiere Crustacean Celebration

“Our national myths often exaggerate the role of the individual heroes and understate the importance of collective effort. —Robert Putnam This is when you meet a living legend and get the benefit of his thinking on the topic he's been brilliantly, prophetically right about for more than three decades: the deterioration of our connectedness with each other across almost every demographic and every aspect of our lives—our loss of social capital.  And yet here we are, painfully and tragically paying the price for our failure to put our shoulders to this wheel when it was (almost eerily) knowable when Dr. Robert Putnam first articulated the societal trend in his iconic book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of America Community” (we've just re-read it, and we're still not sure he's not secretly a time-traveler).  Joined by Shaylyn Romney Garrett, his co-author on “The Upswing: How America Came Together A Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again,” they're beseeching us to do it now (and we're doing just that, until the end of 2024). Bonus: they're showing us that what we need to do is actually fun, fills our souls—and might just save our country. Learn more about Dr. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett in the full program description online here. Pick up a copy of The Upswing and Bowling Alone (you'll thank us) at our partner bookseller Midtown (wherever you live). Please also take a moment to watch the trailer of "Join or Die: A film about why you should join a club - and why the fate of America depends on it," produced and directed by Rebecca Davis and Pete Davis.  Note that in the discussion Dr. Putnam references a chart in the discussion - you can find the two-slide chart here (the first is the imaginary picture we have in our minds about how race in America changed and is not correct; the second is correct).   — The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“A remarkable combination of scientific insight, practical guidance, and grounded hope.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN Toxic polarization and conflict is exhausting. Whether it's in your family, at work or in our perpetually acrimonious civic life, it's like a suitcase full of big ole rocks we lug around while we try to get the usual tasks of life-y-ness done.  Our UNUM journey has brought us thinkers and leaders from sea to shining sea, but now we're turning intentionally to see THE WAY OUT — and it turns out that really being able to see it is a key first step in being able to do it. Columbia University's Peter T. Coleman brings us deep wisdom informed by a life in scholarship that leaves us more hopeful than the usual fare. Know that when we listen to Peter, we do cartwheels of joy — and who doesn't need joy right about now? Facilitated by BridgeUSA's Manu Meel, this is a must-listen if you're looking for The Way Out. Learn more about Dr. Coleman and read a full program description online here. Pick up a copy of The Way Out (you'll thank us) at our partner bookseller Midtown Reader (wherever you live). Peter T. Coleman is Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University where he holds a joint-appointment at Teachers College and The Earth Institute. Dr. Coleman directs the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.  — The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.  

While the world burns and Florida scorches as a result of global warming driven by carbon emissions, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is working to prevent fossil fuel power plants from having to clean up their act.Former "Welcome to Florida" guest Diane Roberts wrote a wonderful column for the Florida Phoenix recently titled, "GOP Death Cult is holding Earth hostage to White Privilege." Roberts' article serves as a wonderful combination punch in conjunction with Jeff VanderMeer's "TIME" magazine article from earlier this summer encapsulating Florida's numerous environmental calamities and how the state arrived at this catastrophe. VanderMeer is also a former "Welcome to Florida" guest.On this episode, we discuss Florida Humanities with the group's Executive Director Nashid Madyun. The mission of Florida Humanities is to preserve, promote and share the history, literature, cultures and personal stories that offer Floridians a better understanding of themselves, their communities and their state. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Florida Humanities is publishing a coffee table book anthology of the state's history. Thanks as always to Windstorm Products for its support of the show. WindstormProducts.com not only has the "stuff" you need to protect your house from hurricane wind damage, it also has the expertise to let you know what you need and what you don't.Thanks also to all of our patrons at patreon.com/welcometoflorida where for as little as $5 per month you can personally support the show and receive regular bonus content.

Join us on an unvarnished tour of America. The People's Recorder is a podcast about the 1930s Federal Writers' Project: what it achieved, where it fell short, and what it means for Americans today. Each episode features stories of individual writers, new places, and the project's impact on people's lives. Along the way we hear from historians, novelists, and others who shed light on that experience and unexpected connections to American society today.The People's Recorder is produced by Spark Media with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Florida Humanities, Virginia Humanities, Wisconsin Humanities, California Humanities and Humanities Nebraska. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. —Abraham Lincoln.This episodes tells the story of one group of people who have risen.Built by patriotic volunteers, Braver Angels is a national movement to bridge the partisan divide, equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership. They work in communities, on college campuses, in the media, and in the halls of political power. We'll offer up a behind the scenes view of this extraordinary group of Americans—how they formed, what they've learned and what's next.Find bios for our participants and a full program description online here.We hope you'll join us as we explore what happens when people of goodwill who might not agree cross each others' thresholds and break a little bread together. Whoever you are, whatever your beliefs, bring an open mind, an open heart (and an empty stomach) for a continuing conversation on the two topics your mother taught you to never broach in polite company: politics and religion. We can't wait.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Romarilyn Ralston is a nationally recognized leader in supporting students with carceral experience. She is currently the executive director of Project Rebound at California State University Fullerton. It was her work with Project Rebound that was, in many ways a catalyst for what we are trying to do here at Santa Fe. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

Over the past couple of months we have been sharing the stories of current and former Santa Fe students with carceral experience. During our last podcast we featured a discussion with administrators, staff, and faculty at Santa Fe. Today, we wanted to bring as many of our guests together as possible. This podcast was recorded in front of a live audience during the Free To Learn symposium on April 14th in the Santa Fe College Lyceum. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

Don't miss this warm, funny professional's guided tour of an industry that is failing us—the "Broken News." You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll know a thing or two to do to fix it.Our very special guest, Chris Stirewalt—a former Fox News political editor— gives us an inside view of the rage-driven political environment we've found ourselves plunged into: “Rage revenue-addicted news companies are plagued by shoddy reporting, sensationalism, groupthink, and brain-dead partisan tribalism. Newsrooms rely on emotion-driven blabber to entrance conflict-addled super users.” We think that just about nails it. Chris Stirewalt is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on American politics, voting trends, public opinion, and the media. He is concurrently a contributing editor and weekly columnist for The Dispatch. Before joining AEI, he was political editor of Fox News Channel, where he helped coordinate political coverage across the network and specialized in on-air analysis of polls and voting trends.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Over the last few weeks we've been talking to formerly incarcerated students in an effort to better understand their experience--the obstacles they face, and the keys to their success. Today we're going to focus on the institutional perspective. What are the constraints faced by institutions when it comes to supporting formerly incarcerated students? How do we address the needs of these students without amplifying the stigma many of them face because of their experiences? How can we systematically and efficiently connect them with the relevant services and support they need and help them integrate into a community of dedicated learners? These are some of the questions that college administrators and faculty wrestle with almost daily. Our panel discussion with key stakeholders at Santa Fe College touched on all of these points plus a few more.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

We're continuing our conversation with Adrian Price. Adrian's progress in higher education has been the result of a combination of determination, optimism, and luck. His story underlines the role that entire communities play when it comes to supporting students with carceral experience.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

Adrian Price, a student at Santa Fe College and member of the justice club, has been a force of nature. This podcast is, in large part, the product of his desire to shine a spotlight on the needs of formerly incarcerated students. Over the course of this discussion, you'll get a sense of his passion for social justice and the efforts he's making to pay it forward. His optimism in the face of some significant obstacles is inspiring and his story illustrates the power of meeting the right people at the right time.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

For some of us, learning can open our eyes to the suffering of others. Education can be a way of healing and a way to help others heal from the trauma in their lives. Today we're going to be talking with Angie Dougherty who is currently pursuing her associates at Santa Fe. I was grateful to be able to talk with Angie about the ways she is actively working to make a difference in the lives of those around her and how her education is helping her to be able to do the most good.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

This is a special BONUS EPISODE of Village SquareCast. Here are the show notes from our friends at The Village Square:   "When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: 'How can you hate me when you don't even know me?' Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.   "This important programming is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of our multi-year series 'UNUM: Democracy Reignited.' Keep reading to meet our streaming partners and learn more about Mr. Davis.   "Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.   "We're delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels,  McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future,  Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media,and Network for Responsible Public Policy."   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.    tlh.villagesquare.us/event/daryl-davis/   tlh.villagesquare.us   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   twitter.com/coreysnathan

This is a special BONUS EPISODE of Village SquareCast. Here are the show notes from our friends at The Village Square:   "When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: 'How can you hate me when you don't even know me?' Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.   "This important programming is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of our multi-year series 'UNUM: Democracy Reignited.' Keep reading to meet our streaming partners and learn more about Mr. Davis.   "Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.   "We're delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels,  McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future,  Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media,and Network for Responsible Public Policy."   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.    tlh.villagesquare.us/event/daryl-davis/   tlh.villagesquare.us   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   twitter.com/coreysnathan

When a person understands what education can do for them, when they understand the opportunities it opens and its power to change lives, they will move heaven and earth to be able to pursue it. In this episode, we continue our conversation with John Wise who is currently studying data science at Indiana University. He was also briefly a student at Santa Fe College. John's story, in many ways, is about his determination to do whatever it took to pursue his education both in and out of prison. While his journey is not without setbacks and frustrations, his resolve never wavered. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

When a person understands what education can do for them, when they understand the opportunities it opens, and its power to change lives, they will move heaven and earth to be able to pursue it. In this episode, we'll be talking with John Wise who is currently studying data science at Indiana University. He was also briefly a student at Santa Fe College. John's story, in many ways, is about his determination to do whatever it took to pursue his education both in and out of prison. While his journey is not without setbacks and frustrations, his resolve never wavered. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

"WHEN TWO ENEMIES ARE TALKING, THEY'RE NOT FIGHTING."When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: “How can you hate me when you don't even know me?” Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Welcome to Free to Learn, a podcast exploring the stories of formerly incarcerated college students. My name is Jason Frank. I'm an Instructional Designer at Santa Fe College, and I'm interested in better understanding how we can create a learning environment that better meets the needs of these students. The first step to good design is listening to the people you're working to support.We're continuing our conversation with Beth Dodd. If you haven't listened to part one of this interview, I'd recommend going back and listening to that first. Beth's educational journey has been the result of having a clear goal, fierce resolve, and the fortune of key advocates at key moments. She has a lot that she can teach us about how to support some of our most vulnerable students. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

We all pursue  education is a path to a job or career that can put food on our tables and a roof over our heads. Others see education as a way to make a positive difference in the world which adds to our collective security. Post-carceral life is fraught with insecurity. Without any education, rates of recidivism hover around 70-85%. Education and a meaningful career can reduce those odds significantly. Beth Dodd is a graduate of Santa Fe College and is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree online. She currently works for a local engineering firm, and while her ambitions for a steady paycheck with benefits may seem modest to some, but as you listen to her story, I think you'll agree that there's nothing modest about what she's been able to accomplish with her education and the support of some key allies. Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.Full transcripts can be found under each episode at https://freetolearn.buzzsprout.com/. 

Welcome to “From Christmas Tree Farm to Stand,” Thinking Cap Theatre's Four-Part Podcast Series inspired by interviews and site visits with Christmas Tree Farmers around the state of Florida. In this episode Thinking Cap Theatre's Artistic Director Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., talks with Farmer Tom, from Santa's Christmas Tree Farm in Eustis, Florida. These interviews were used as primary research to create Thinking Cap Theatre's original holiday play with music, O CHRISTMAS TREE. The play centers on a South Florida family that starts a new tradition and visits a North Florida 'cut-and-choose' tree farm after the lights on their artificial tree dim. O CHRISTMAS TREE Co-written by Bree-Anna Obst and Nicole Stodard Friday, December 9th, 7:00PM (Opening) Wednesday, December 21st, 7:00PM (Closing) ***Special Talkback*** Following the Sunday, December 11th 1:00PM performance, TCT will host a talkback with distinguished panelist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist and cognitive scientist at University of Connecticut. He will discuss themes in the play and his latest book, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. ***Behind-the-Scenes Talkback***Following the Sunday, December 18th 1:00PM performance, the cast and creative team of O CHRISTMAS TREE will discuss the show's process and answer questions from the audience. Performance Schedule Wednesdays (December 14 & 21) at 7PM Fridays (December 9 & 16) at 7PM Saturdays (December 10, 17) at 7PM Sundays (December 11, 18) at 1PM and 5PM Ticket Prices $40 (Adults) $20 (17 and under) Ticket Link: http://thinkingcaptheatre.eventbrite.com TCT and MAD Arts Venue Information Theatre Company Website: http://thinkingcaptheatre.org Box Office Phone: 954-610-7263 Venue Address: Mad Arts, 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004 Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities of the National Endowment of the Humanities. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-cap-theatre/support

Welcome to “From Christmas Tree Farm to Stand,” Thinking Cap Theatre's Four-Part Podcast Series inspired by interviews and site visits with Christmas Tree Farmers around the state of Florida. In this episode Thinking Cap Theatre's Artistic Director Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., talks with husband and wife family farmers, Bo and Karen Salis from A Southern CHRISTmas Tree Farm in Hilliard Florida. These interviews were used as primary research to create Thinking Cap Theatre's original holiday play with music, O CHRISTMAS TREE. The play centers on a South Florida family that starts a new tradition and visits a North Florida 'cut-and-choose' tree farm after the lights on their artificial tree dim. O CHRISTMAS TREE Co-written by Bree-Anna Obst and Nicole Stodard Friday, December 9th, 7:00PM (Opening) Wednesday, December 21st, 7:00PM (Closing) ***Special Talkback*** Following the Sunday, December 11th 1:00PM performance, TCT will host a talkback with distinguished panelist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist and cognitive scientist at University of Connecticut. He will discuss themes in the play and his latest book, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. ***Behind-the-Scenes Talkback***Following the Sunday, December 18th 1:00PM performance, the cast and creative team of O CHRISTMAS TREE will discuss the show's process and answer questions from the audience. Performance Schedule Wednesdays (December 14 & 21) at 7PM Fridays (December 9 & 16) at 7PM Saturdays (December 10, 17) at 7PM Sundays (December 11, 18) at 1PM and 5PM Ticket Prices $40 (Adults) $20 (17 and under) Ticket Link: http://thinkingcaptheatre.eventbrite.com TCT and MAD Arts Venue Information Theatre Company Website: http://thinkingcaptheatre.org Box Office Phone: 954-610-7263 Venue Address: Mad Arts, 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004 Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities of the National Endowment of the Humanities. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-cap-theatre/support

Welcome to “From Christmas Tree Farm to Stand,” Thinking Cap Theatre's Four-Part Podcast Series inspired by interviews and site visits with Christmas Tree Farmers around the state of Florida. In this episode Thinking Cap Theatre's Artistic Director Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., talks with Franco and Robert Camacho, father and son farmers from Bavarian Christmas Tree Farm in Tallahassee, Florida. These interviews were used as primary research to create Thinking Cap Theatre's original holiday play with music, O CHRISTMAS TREE. The play centers on a South Florida family that starts a new tradition and visits a North Florida 'cut-and-choose' tree farm after the lights on their artificial tree dim. O CHRISTMAS TREE Co-written by Bree-Anna Obst and Nicole Stodard Friday, December 9th, 7:00PM (Opening) Wednesday, December 21st, 7:00PM (Closing) ***Special Talkback*** Following the Sunday, December 11th 1:00PM performance, TCT will host a talkback with distinguished panelist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist and cognitive scientist at University of Connecticut. He will discuss themes in the play and his latest book, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. ***Behind-the-Scenes Talkback***Following the Sunday, December 18th 1:00PM performance, the cast and creative team of O CHRISTMAS TREE will discuss the show's process and answer questions from the audience. Performance Schedule Wednesdays (December 14 & 21) at 7PM Fridays (December 9 & 16) at 7PM Saturdays (December 10, 17) at 7PM Sundays (December 11, 18) at 1PM and 5PM Ticket Prices $40 (Adults) $20 (17 and under) Ticket Link: http://thinkingcaptheatre.eventbrite.com TCT and MAD Arts Venue Information Theatre Company Website: http://thinkingcaptheatre.org Box Office Phone: 954-610-7263 Venue Address: Mad Arts, 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004 Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities of the National Endowment of the Humanities. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-cap-theatre/support

Welcome to “From Christmas Tree Farm to Stand,” Thinking Cap Theatre's Four-Part Podcast Series inspired by interviews and site visits with Christmas Tree Farmers around the state of Florida. In this episode Thinking Cap Theatre's Artistic Director Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., talks with Cathryn and John Gregory from Unicorn Hill Christmas Tree Farm in Gainesville Florida, a couple who has been in the tree farming business for 38 years. These interviews were used as primary research to create Thinking Cap Theatre's original holiday play with music, O CHRISTMAS TREE. The play centers on a South Florida family that starts a new tradition and visits a North Florida 'cut-and-choose' tree farm after the lights on their artificial tree dim. O CHRISTMAS TREE Co-written by Bree-Anna Obst and Nicole Stodard Friday, December 9th, 7:00PM (Opening) Wednesday, December 21st, 7:00PM (Closing) ***Special Talkback*** Following the Sunday, December 11th 1:00PM performance, TCT will host a talkback with distinguished panelist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist and cognitive scientist at University of Connecticut. He will discuss themes in the play and his latest book, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. ***Behind-the-Scenes Talkback***Following the Sunday, December 18th 1:00PM performance, the cast and creative team of O CHRISTMAS TREE will discuss the show's process and answer questions from the audience. Performance Schedule Wednesdays (December 14 & 21) at 7PM Fridays (December 9 & 16) at 7PM Saturdays (December 10, 17) at 7PM Sundays (December 11, 18) at 1PM and 5PM Ticket Prices $40 (Adults) $20 (17 and under) Ticket Link: http://thinkingcaptheatre.eventbrite.com TCT and MAD Arts Venue Information Theatre Company Website: http://thinkingcaptheatre.org Box Office Phone: 954-610-7263 Venue Address: Mad Arts, 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004 Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities of the National Endowment of the Humanities. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-cap-theatre/support

“There's people wandering around in packs, not thinking for themselves, seized by this mob mentality trying to spread their disease and destroy society. And you probably think, as I do, that you're the good guy in the zombie apocalypse movie, and all this hate and polarization, it's being propagated by the other people, because we're Brad Pitt, right?” —Dr. Robb Willer, Polarization and Social Change Lab at Stanford University When it comes to navigating our deepening ideological divide in America, what if we're not so much the hero fighting the forces of evil—instead we're accidentally acting just a little too much like “foot soldiers in the army of the undead,” wonders our special guest, Dr. Robb Willer. Robb has been working on understanding the moral underpinnings of this accelerating anger—and his research shows that we're speaking different languages. Dr. Willer, professor of psychology and sociology at Stanford University and Director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab (and movie buff), shares his highly-relatable, user-friendly and scientifically-grounded advice on how we might improve the quality of our political conversations—and possibly ditch a few zombies along the way. Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project (and one of our favorite civic superheroes) joins us to facilitate the conversation.  Dr. Robb Willer is a Professor of Sociology, Psychology (by courtesy), and Organizational Behavior (by courtesy) and the Director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab at Stanford University. He studies politics, morality, cooperation, and status. Learn more about Dr. Willer's work here, see below for some of Dr. Willer's articles. Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project, is a national leader in the field of bridge building, having taken a “civic sabbatical” from her tech career to help save American democracy (and we're so glad she has). She's devoted to accelerating the efforts of academics and practitioners who seek to reduce polarization and improve civil discourse in our citizenry, politics and media. Previously, she's held senior executive roles at Intel, IBM and multiple start-up software companies. This important programming is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of our multi-year series “UNUM: Democracy Reignited.”  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We highlight a new oral history project about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Black and Brown Floridians in the greater Tampa Bay region. We'll feature two interviews from the Florida Humanities-funded project and hear from one of its producers.

We highlight a new oral history project about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Black and Brown Floridians in the greater Tampa Bay region. We'll feature two interviews from the Florida Humanities-funded project and hear from one of its producers.

Florida's history of racial violence is examined in this episode. Our guest is Tameka Hobbs, Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute at Edward Waters University. She authored the book "Democracy Abroad, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida" and lectures on this topic through the Florida Humanities. Among the numerous critical discussion points you may want more information on are redlining, Harry T. Moore, the Ocoee Massacre and the Equal Justice Initiative. For a full list of publications by Dr. Hobbs, visit https://tamekabradleyhobbs.com/.To learn more about the A. Philip Randolph Institute at Edward Waters University, visit https://www.ew.edu/apri/.You can follow Dr. Hobbs on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tameka-bradley-hobbs-7064395.Follow Dr. Hobbs on social media: @dr.tamekahobbs on Instagram, Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs on Facebook, and @tamekahobbs on Twitter.To learn more about the South Florida People of Color, please visit https://southfloridapoc.org/.Dr. Hobbs can be reached by email at t.hobbs@ewc.edu for questions regarding today's discussion or for inquiries about booking."Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota and Windstorm Products.

In the year prior to his assassination, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King isolated himself in a house in Jamaica where he wrote what was to become his final book. King said he felt at home there: “In Jamaica I feel like a human being.” “One day, here in America,” said King, “I hope that we will see this and we will become one big family of Americans.” 50 years later, it is an aching American tragedy that we find ourselves with issues of race, arguably, as emotional, divisive and consequential as in King's time. The culmination of King's thinking in Jamaica ultimately became the book “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” In it he offers this stark warning: “Together we must learn to live together as brothers or together we will be forced to perish as fools.” Our failure to “live together as brothers” has gone to seed in what increasingly feels like the chaos King foreshadowed. But right beside his tragic premonition of our future is also his uncanny prescription of a path forward. To King the answer lies, at least in part, with community. At the Village Square, we've long believed that the revival of American geographic community across differences of opinion and demographics is ultimately the only thing that can save us. No matter how profound our disagreement runs, we're still neighbors whose lives intersect. As we consider how to move forward together, we are inspired by insights from Neil Phillips' Race to Truth talks for which he won The Nantucket Project Audience Award multiple times.  Neil is an educator, entrepreneur, public speaker, coach and youth advocate.  Neil founded Visible Men Acadamy, a charter school for at-risk boys of color. He is currently serving as the first ever Chief Diversity Officer for The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Also featured in this program:  Chuck Hobbs joins us for a cameo appearance to share a story about growing up in a racially divided town.  Chuck is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney who has tried many high-profile cases, including two jury trials that aired on Court TV.  Chuck is also a freelance writer and political commentator, appearing on CNN, Fox News, E! and other major networks.   Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Why don't liberals seem to care about moral behavior and the moral communities that support it? Why don't conservatives seem to care about rampant public corruption at the heart of our political system? If we care about doing the right thing, can't we care about both? There is perhaps nowhere in our civic debate where the conversation has grown so calcified as the one about morality. We've long since stopped any form of real communication, instead hurling accusations at each other across what seems to be an impossible – and ever-widening – divide. But if you take a fresh look at the best case each side makes, they each have a real argument, in fact we think each sees an “asteroid” coming our way – with the problem getting bigger over time and the longer we ignore it. And until we cross the partisan divide and realize that team effort can solve both problems – as we would behave if they were real asteroids we must deflect to protect life on earth, we're stuck in a do-loop of failure to communicate. Joining us for this program are:  Lucy Morgan, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Dr. Bill Shiell, President of Northern Seminary and former pastor at First Baptist Church.  Facilitated by Steve Seibert.  Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America “We can be different and united—the value of the American experiment is contingent on the truth of this proposition.” —Theodore Roosevelt Johnson III Dr. Theodore R. Johnson is the great-grandson of sharecroppers who, unfathomably, believed in what Johnson calls “the Promise,” that we Americans are created equal and that “each of us will respect and defend the rights and liberty of others.” Willie and Annie Johnson so believed in that promise that they named Dr. Johnson's grandfather and namesake Theodore Roosevelt Johnson, after our 26th president invited the first black man, Booker T. Washington, to the White House for dinner. Dr. Johnson shares his family's deep reverence for this American experiment, but also believes our failure to bind together around our highest ideals is an existential threat to our future. Join us as Dr. Johnson makes an invitation—and a challenge—to all of us, born of lived experience as a black son of the American south and love of this country he took an oath to preserve. Facilitated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. Dr. Theodore R. Johnson is a public policy scholar and military veteran who served as a White House Fellow and speechwriter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ted is currently a Senior Fellow and Director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. He holds a Doctorate of Law and Policy, and his research focuses primarily on African American political behavior as well as civic solidarity. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: Democracy Paradox 

It's easy to lose touch with just how extraordinary it is that America's charting Declaration named “the pursuit of happiness” right up there with life and liberty as our opening argument to stick it in the king's eye. So are we happy? If you look at objective measures of late, the answer is “no.” And our sense of it is that if “we the people” are miserable, this can't be good for the American experiment. Join us as we become bound and re-determined to be happy. And we're beyond delighted to announce that our special guest in this journey is the extraordinary Arthur Brooks—a one man beacon of inspiration toward both happiness and radical decency in politics. This former AEI President, bestselling author, Atlantic columnist and Harvard professor is devoting the most recent chapter of his extraordinary career to discovering how to live our best lives. Fresh off the release of his most recent book, “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life,” Brooks made one of his first stops to see us.  Arthur is the bestselling author of 11 books on topics ranging from economic opportunity to human happiness. His recent bestseller, Love Your Enemies, released in March 2019, is a guide to building a better country and mending personal relationships amidst our culture of political polarization. In February 2022, Arthur released From Strength to Strength, a new book on finding meaning, success, and deep purpose in the second half of life. Read more about our special guest here. Facilitating the conversation is our friend and owner of Midtown Reader, Sally Bradshaw. Sally's extensive career includes serving as Jeb Bush's campaign manager during his successful bid for Governor in 1998, and as his Chief of Staff from 1999 until 2002. She has also acted as a senior advisor to Mitt Romney and Florida's Republican Party. In 2016, after years of consulting, Sally opened Midtown Reader. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: The Bully Pulpit

Prepared to explore “Empathy in the Age of Schadenfreude,” the God Squad showed up to a room full of people disturbed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  It turns out our planned topic was just the opening we needed to explore how one addresses the moral complexities of the war in Ukraine. Join us for this timely conversation as we seek spiritual reinforcement from God Squad originals Pastor Betsy Ouellette Zierden of St. George Island United Methodist Church, Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Rabbi Jack Romberg, author of "A doorway to Heroism: A decorated German-Jewish Soldier who became an American Hero." Schadenfreude = the experience of feeling joy due to another person's misfortune. As the political landscape has devolved into a Mad Max hellscape of blame and retribution (and sometimes even worse), can we find a way to wrestle up a little empathy for our fellow human, even the ones who we don't agree with — liberal or conservative; Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist; black, white or brown and everyone in between? Is it possible to find humanity amidst the age of political ruin? We'll find out. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

It's hard to reconcile that the author of the most central and sacred words in the American experiment—that all men are created equal—enslaved people.  Always game for a challenge (or possibly lacking the good judgment our mothers raised us to have), we've invited Jefferson scholar and host of "The Thomas Jefferson Hour" and author of the recently released "Repairing Jefferson's America" Clay Jenkinson to help us wrestle with a healthy and historically full picture of this man so deeply central to our story as a nation, in both its glory and its shame. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

Think it's impossible to bridge today's divisions? We beg to differ. Join politically diverse Village Square moderators looking back on the "best of" fifteen years—and now 50 podcast episodes— of bringing people together who don't look or think alike to discuss the thorniest issues of our time, while actually having fun. You'll hear about what made them laugh and cry, what inspired them, and other behind-the-scenes moments they've been mum about (until now, that is). Bill Mattox, Vita Woodrich, and Liz Joyner take a trip down memory lane while the rest of us pull out our notepads and soak up their wisdom.  This 50th SquareCast episode is packed with practical tips used by our guests as they navigate the challenges and joys of building bridges in their personal lives and with their beloved Village Square family. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

A year-long project by More in Common came up with a description of most of America that a lot of us relate to: “the exhausted majority.” Everything has become political, high conflict, and seemingly inescapable as the electromagnetic suck of angry politics forces us to be either “us” or “them,” when most of us would rather do nothing of the sort. If we have ever needed one, now's the time to chart a path forward that takes the higher ground. And is it even possible that by turning our attention to something else we might — unfathomably — be doing exactly what just might fix the political mess?  We'll find out together, with God Squad sherpas leading our way. Joining us are God Squad regulars Pastor Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, Dr. Dan Leshem of Hillel FSU, Betsy Ouellette Zierden, and guest Latricia Scriven of New Life United Methodist Church to guide us through this discussion. This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Find this event online at The Village Square. Check out the More in Common study here.

Online trolls and political disinformation. Cancel culture and Twitter pile-ons. We're living in a time when truth itself is under perpetual assault by growing numbers of our fellow citizens (and more than a few Russian bots) who simply don't want to believe anything that they — well — didn't already want to believe. This rising tide of illiberalism from across the political spectrum has many of us yammering on until we turn blue about respectful disagreement and the marketplace of ideas. But what if defenders of truth are missing the most fundamental conceptual revolution at the very core of this American experiment and the enlightenment — of western civilization itself? Jonathan Rauch connects our past to our present challenge as he introduces us to "The Constitution of Knowledge" — the extraordinary system of how we flawed humans gain knowledge that scales and endures. Rauch argues we must know the constitution of knowledge exists if we are to have any hope of defending it. This frame-shifting conversation is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of a multi-year series "Unum: Democracy Reignited," exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests in our lives. Facilitated by Aaron Sharockman, Executive Director of Politifact, based at the Poynter Institute. This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Find this event, including speaker bios, online at The Village Square.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. We're past due for a neighborly heart-to-heart about the tectonic shifts across the political landscape as powerful forces drive globalization inevitably onward and a certain number of citizens – near and far – are dragging their feet as they cumulatively scream stop! This is ultimately a conversation about the roiling class, education and geographic divides here at home. Joining us for the conversation is Dr. Justin Gest, author of The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. There are few areas of the culture war with deeper and more consequential divisions than the ongoing clash between faith and science. And just like with our other divisions, we're having difficulty navigating the complexities of both faith and science without falling into our angry tribes (tribes that diminish either faith or science). Rather than having an ongoing conversation of substance about how to apply our exploding understanding of the world around us to solve problems, our communication descends into name-calling and made-up “facts” that support what we want to believe is true (but isn't necessarily). People of faith feel attacked and marginalized in a world where rapid scientific and technological advancements seem to outpace our ability to use them wisely. Rabbi Jack Romberg is back to facilitate this program. Joining our panel is FSU Physicist Dr. Harrison Prosper, on the team at CERN in Switzerland that discovered Higgs boson, referred to by some as the “God particle.” Bringing a deeply personal perspective to the conversation is Mike McHargue – or Science Mike – who talks faith “in an age where science explains our world so well.” We're also delighted to be joined by Fr. Matthew Busch of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The name for this program comes from the insights of a former Catholic nun, author Karen Armstrong – that mythos (intuition, wisdom, meaning) and logos (rational, pragmatic, and scientific thought) are simply different ways of knowing.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. One enduring reality makes every challenge of democratic self-governance more difficult: human beings. The founders integrated their deep understanding of our flawed nature into the form of government they designed — the checks and balances, the rights of the minority to control the power and excess of majority factions. Now that those dudes are no longer around and it's our job to steer the ship of state, are we adequately contemplating how the most essential truths of our psychology as a species affect our ability to live and govern together? Are we making good decisions given, uh, humans? Add to the complex stew of human nature the politics of power – who's in (and likes order), and who's out (and will flirt with the change that chaos can bring) – and all the disruption we're currently experiencing starts to have a story arc. Making everything just that much worse, we've effectively (though accidentally) used technology to weaponize human nature. In today's angry partisan throwdown, we're remarkably able to overlook human error in “us” even as we make a hobby out of obsessively pointing out what's wrong with “them.” (Turns out this is human nature too.) We're joined by psychologists Dr. Paul Conway and Dr. Bo Winegard — who have different worldviews, but talk anyway — whose verbal jousting we've found truly riveting. We talk people, partisanship, power, and presidents. (No topics that don't start with a “p”.) Tune in to see if our facilitator, Jovita Woodrich, can get a word in edgewise.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Join us for a conversation with very special guest Dr. Danielle Allen — Harvard Professor, classicist, and political scientist, and the author of “Our Declaration,” a book about this critical moment in the future of building a multiracial democracy. At a time when the future of American democracy is under threat from across the political spectrum — when a disturbingly high number of citizens seem to no longer believe in the American project — Dr. Allen's body of work “thrillingly affirms the continuing relevance of America's founding text, ultimately revealing what democracy actually means and what it asks of us.” Part democracy's orator and part its master mechanic, Dr. Allen is uniquely equipped to guide us to the other side of our current crisis of faith in democracy. Dr. Allen's contributions to this moment in history are tangible and impactful — she recently co-chaired the comprehensive report Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.  Find Danielle Allen's piece “How the Declaration of Independence Offers a Roadmap to a Better Union” in the Spring 2020 “Democracy Edition” of Forum Magazine (begins on page 22). Join us for this important conversation about our future you won't soon forget, facilitated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, today we're celebrating Florida's Latin-American food cultures. We're sharing an excerpt from a conversation titled Food Memories of Latin America. This Zoom discussion was part of Conversations in the Neighborhood: Let's Talk about Food, a discussion series presented by Florida Humanities, the University of Florida's Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, and the City of Gainesville. We'll hear from educators, activists and home cooks about how their Latin American heritage influences the way they eat. We've edited the conversation for length and clarity.The discussion was moderated by Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, the Latin American and Caribbean Special Collections Librarian at the George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida.Panelists include:Wanda Depaz-Ibanez, Puerto Rico native and retired co-owner of Emiliano's Bakery and Emiliano's Restaurant.Linsey Derival, a Haitian-born Afro-Latina who spent her childhood in the Dominican Republic and adolescence in the United States.Mariana Rodrigues, an activist who particpated in feminist and LGBTQ movements in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Brazil.Cecilia "CC" Suarez,  assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC) focusing on intercultural communication and global leadership.Marisella Veiga, a Cuban-born writer, lecturer and home cookRelated episodes:Taco Bus Founder Rene Valenzuela on Cinco de Mayo, His Life-Changing Accident & What's NextMiami Herald's Carlos Frías on Cuban Coffee, Edible Iguanas & Winning the James Beard AwardMichelle Bernstein's Jewish-Latin ‘Mishmosh' of a Life

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, today we're celebrating Florida's Latin-American food cultures. We're sharing an excerpt from a conversation titled Food Memories of Latin America. This Zoom discussion was part of Conversations in the Neighborhood: Let's Talk about Food, a discussion series presented by Florida Humanities, the University of Florida's Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, and the City of Gainesville. We'll hear from educators, activists and home cooks about how their Latin American heritage influences the way they eat. We've edited the conversation for length and clarity.The discussion was moderated by Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, the Latin American and Caribbean Special Collections Librarian at the George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida.Panelists include:Wanda Depaz-Ibanez, Puerto Rico native and retired co-owner of Emiliano's Bakery and Emiliano's Restaurant.Linsey Derival, a Haitian-born Afro-Latina who spent her childhood in the Dominican Republic and adolescence in the United States.Mariana Rodrigues, an activist who particpated in feminist and LGBTQ movements in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Brazil.Cecilia "CC" Suarez,  assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC) focusing on intercultural communication and global leadership.Marisella Veiga, a Cuban-born writer, lecturer and home cookRelated episodes:Taco Bus Founder Rene Valenzuela on Cinco de Mayo, His Life-Changing Accident & What's NextMiami Herald's Carlos Frías on Cuban Coffee, Edible Iguanas & Winning the James Beard AwardMichelle Bernstein's Jewish-Latin ‘Mishmosh' of a Life

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. “All Men are Created Equal,” but not everyone feels they are. Have we gone too far with insuring equality or not far enough? In “Created Equal + Breathing Free,” we'll examine the straining of the central – and sometimes competing – principles of equality and freedom. Does your freedom threaten my equality? And does my equality limit your freedom? We'll dive into topics of religious freedom, gay rights and the appropriate role of the law in both insuring equality and safeguarding freedom. At this time of deep, heart-wrenching division across race, religion and political perspective – division that seems too often to create civic dialogue that finds the worst in us instead of calling our better angels – we think this is a conversation for our time, a checking back to consider how well we are hewing to the ideals of America, and perhaps a renewed promise to get there. This program features Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral and Terry Galloway, Co-founder of The Mickee Faust Club. Facilitated by Bill Mattox of James Madison Institute and Village Square Board of Directors.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. As current events batter the institutions of democratic self-governance designed by our founders, an imperfect though once seemingly stable foundation seems deeply shaken. Never mind our inability to solve real problems together, it's increasingly more difficult to even navigate how we gather together under the banner of “e pluribus unum.” We'll be joined by presidential scholar Clay Jenkinson of The Thomas Jefferson Hour to get as close as metaphysics allow to talking to the author of the lofty ideals that we hold so dear, but struggle to live into. We'll dive into the issues surrounding the upheaval of our times – with an eye toward understanding its lessons – through the eyes of a man who has spent his lifetime struggling to understand both the promise and failures of our history as a people. Clay Jenkinson has lectured about and portrayed Jefferson in forty-nine states over a period of fifteen years, having performed before Supreme Court justices, presidents, eighteen state legislatures, and countless public, corporate and student audiences as well as appearing on The Today Show, Politically Incorrect, The Colbert Report and CNN. Clay is a humanities scholar, Rhodes Scholar, author and social commentator who is considered one of the most entertaining and articulate public speakers in the country. Back to facilitate another riveting discussion with Clay Jenkinson is Steve Vancore, president of Vancore Jones Communications. Also joining the discussion is God Squad regular Pastor Darrick McGhee of Bible Based Church and of Johnson + Blanton.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Join us as we discuss the impact of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947 – why it was such a momentous breakthrough, how it laid the groundwork for the subsequent success of the civil rights movement, and what we can still learn from Robinson's example today. We're delighted to be joined by Jackie Robinson's cousin, Dr. Linda Walden, who lives in southwest Georgia. Dr. Walden spearheaded the effort to have Jackie's birthplace placed on the Historic Registry. Also joining our discussion is special guest Fred Flowers, who — as the first black Seminole to put on a Florida State University uniform — broke FSU's color barrier soon after integration began. Fred is the athlete commemorated in the statue “Integration,” which was dedicated in 2004. Also joining us is Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Sanchez, whose career began writing sports columns in the Florida Flambeau during the civil rights protests of the 60's, continued as he taught journalism at FAMU and wrote for The Miami Herald.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. In a live audience taping of The Thomas Jefferson Hour, we looked through the eyes of the author of the Declaration of Independence and marked our progress toward a more perfect union. We considered what both Mr. Jefferson and those of us charged with perfecting America today might think is yet to achieve. Thomas Jefferson is portrayed by Presidential Scholar Clay Jenkinson, who has spoken as Jefferson in forty-nine states over a period of fifteen years, having performed before Supreme Court justices, presidents, eighteen state legislatures, and countless public, corporate and student audiences as well as appearing on The Today Show, Politically Incorrect, The Colbert Report and CNN. Clay is a humanities scholar, Rhodes Scholar, author and social commentator who is considered one of the most entertaining and articulate public speakers in the country. Clay will be joining us again soon for Dead Presidents + Living Statues as we continue the conversation and talk openly about Jefferson's hypocrisy and the debate around statues in our country. 

Presented in partnership with Leon County Government. This program is the first in a collaborative podcast series in partnership with Florida Humanities.   Confused about Juneteenth vs. May 20? Join us for a conversation about the process of Emancipation.  From the hearts of the enslaved, to the dreams of freedmen, to the urgent pleas of today's black American citizens, the journey toward the full franchise of freedom lives on. We'll celebrate what's come before — and consider what's yet to be done. This year's Created Equal program commemorates Emancipation Day in Florida, which is recognized on May 20. More than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union General McCook announced Emancipation to the state of Florida from the Knott House in Leon County on May 20, 1865. The journey toward freedom that began 156 years ago, continues today in our community. Join us as we celebrate this legacy and consider our generation's work still to do. Across the years, across the state — we'll connect our past, present and future to consider the legacy of Emancipation Day in Florida. To honor the past and look to the future, Created Equal 2021 will highlight both local and state-wide historians as they discuss Florida's history of enslavement, civil rights and how we continue to stretch towards freedom today.

Judi Gallagher has a passion for preserving her family's hand-written recipes. The Sarasota chef says cooking and baking have been therapeutic during some of the most challenging times in her life, including a tough childhood with her father who suffered from mental illness, a contentious divorce and her adult son's debilitating health condition. So for Judi, her family's hand-written recipes are more valuable than a pound of saffron or the rarest white truffles. Judi is a chef, TV personality, entrepreneur and the author of Reflections & Recipes of Chef Judi. In our conversation, Judi shared the story of how she started baking as a young girl and advice for preserving your own treasured recipes.You can read much more of Judi's incredible life story in Dalia's profile of her. It appears in the summer issue of FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities.Hungry for more? Check out these related episodes:Zora Neale Hurston's Foodie LifeGenie Milgrom: Recipes of My 15 GrandmothersLa Dolce Vita: Peach Cobbler, The New Pie & Edible Cookie Dough

Judi Gallagher has a passion for preserving her family's hand-written recipes. The Sarasota chef says cooking and baking have been therapeutic during some of the most challenging times in her life, including a tough childhood with her father who suffered from mental illness, a contentious divorce and her adult son's debilitating health condition. So for Judi, her family's hand-written recipes are more valuable than a pound of saffron or the rarest white truffles. Judi is a chef, TV personality, entrepreneur and the author of Reflections & Recipes of Chef Judi. In our conversation, Judi shared the story of how she started baking as a young girl and advice for preserving your own treasured recipes.You can read much more of Judi's incredible life story in Dalia's profile of her. It appears in the summer issue of FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities.Hungry for more? Check out these related episodes:Zora Neale Hurston's Foodie LifeGenie Milgrom: Recipes of My 15 GrandmothersLa Dolce Vita: Peach Cobbler, The New Pie & Edible Cookie Dough